[Acer Iconia A500] SaschaElble:
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SHORT AND SIMPLE:

Basically short the connection of d21 to ground. This is how the button works, one ground point and one hot point. The button just touches these two together.

Long and detailed:

So... about a year ago, I got my first A500. Broken. Figured out power button was broke. Figured out how to rewire it, but ended up shorting the motherboard out RIGHT AFTER I GOT IT TO TURN ON....

Today, bought another one on ebay, broken. Has been sent in for power button repair previously.... Everything looked fine.... started researching... finally just dived in and removed the hotglue that was holding the power button. Ah HAH! Solder joints were broken, but button still "clicked".

So... after 6 hours trying to solder the button back on, I went another route. I call it perma fix, because the power button no longer depends on the soldered connection for structural integrity. Also, it should still allow minor shifting without breaking the connection.

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Step 1:

Remove power button (probably already fell off on yours)

Step 2: De-solder the the original solder pads, the power button used to connect to. Make sure the two holes on the left and right of the three pads are wide open.

Step 3: Get two pieces of stranded wire, remove enough strands until each "wire" can fit into the two holes. (twist strands for extra strength)

Step 4: Solder the tip of one strand to one outside pin of the power button, solder tip of other strand to other outside pin.

Step 5: Turn power button upside down, solder each strand along the side of the button pointing down.

(You should now have a power button with two strands of wire physically soldered to the power button metal frame and the far left and far right pins)

Step 6: Solder a single TINY strand of wire to the middle pin of power button.

Step 7: Push the two supporting strands through the two holes the metal case USED to go into. Solder them.

Step 7B: Now that the power button is upside down, and has, on each side, a strand of wire soldered to the metal frame, and is soldered to the board like in step 7.

All three pins of the power button should now be up in the air, instead of touching the PCB. Solder pins 1 & 3 to the metal frame/strands. THIS IS YOUR GROUND.

So pins 1 and 3, attach to metal frame, which attaches to wire strands, which attach to PCB where the metal feet of the power button metal cover used to go.

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Step 8: Solder the TINY strand of wire, to the bottom left of D21. (If your looking at the board, the volumes buttons are up, power and headphone jack to the left, and sd card slot to the right, all facing you on the same side of the board the power button mounts to)

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(Please note, in this picture, the power button has not yet been attached to the board permanently, the button is supposed to be flush with the board, not raised up as in this pic.)

Step 9: adjustment of power button height. My tablet wouldn't "click" when pressing the power button on the case, so adjustments were needed.

Either:

A:

Get something no thicker than a dime, that doesn't conduct electricity, and put between power button and old solder points

B: Use hot-glue, and push power button down, but leave a dimes thickness of hot-glue between board and power button

Step 10:

suspend wire strand between headphone jack and power button, and route through this area, leading to bottom left pin of D21.)

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Step 11: use hot glue, and just suspend the strand close to the board, but keep enough hotglue between it and the board, so it doesn't short, but also, low enough so you can still fit the cover back on

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(BTW: I have tested this, it does work. I traced the points. Far left and right pins go to ground, and center pin, routes to bottom left pin of D21)